RRND Email Full Text (Scheduled)

  • Inflation likely to stay “significantly above target,” top European central banker warns

    Source: CNBC

    “Inflation is at risk of remaining above target despite the U.S. and Iran agreeing to end their war in the Middle East, a top European central banker warned on Tuesday. Speaking to CNBC’s Annette Weisbach on the sidelines of the European Central Bank’s Forum on Central Banking in Sintra, Portugal, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said there is a probability inflation ‘will stay at an elevated level.’ … Earlier this month, the ECB raised its key interest rate for the first time since 2023, citing inflationary pressures arising from the U.S.-Iran war. Nagel said on Tuesday that the hike was the right decision, but it is too soon to make a call on the trajectory of monetary policy, with much uncertainty still lingering around the situation in the Middle East.” (06/30/26)

    https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/30/high-inflation-could-linger-despite-iran-war-ending-ecbs-nagel-says.html

  • White House Ballroom Project Got Secret No-Bid Contract

    Source: Washington Post

    “White House officials last year secretly awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million for the construction of the East Wing ballroom in an unusual arrangement that sidestepped typical contracting procedures designed to control costs, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by The Washington Post. The White House routed the contract through the Executive Residence, the document shows, an office that is exempt from rules that require federal agencies to solicit competitive bids and disclose details to the public. … The confidential contract with Clark Construction, along with related correspondence and records obtained by The Post, reveal for the first time how the Trump administration bypassed norms last summer as it set the ballroom project in motion. … Trump has repeatedly claimed that the ballroom would be paid for by private donors and once said that Clark executives offered to build it for free.” (06/30/26)

    https://archive.is/dyLsx

  • New Caledonia: French colonial loyalists emerge largest bloc after election, lack majority

    Source: Reuters

    “New Caledonia’s non-independence coalition emerged as the largest bloc in the legislature after the French Pacific territory’s provincial elections, but fell ​short of an outright majority, leaving a small centrist Pacific ‌party in the role of kingmaker, final results showed. The elections, held on June 28 after repeated delays, were the first provincial vote since 2019 and followed ​deadly unrest in 2024 over proposed changes to the local electoral ​roll, exposing the deep strains in France’s relationship with New ⁠Caledonia and its Indigenous Kanak population. The French Pacific territory, about 1,500 ​km (930 miles) east of Australia, has around 270,000 inhabitants, including roughly 41% ​Melanesian Kanaks and 24% of European origin, mostly French, and has long been split between pro-independence and pro-France camps.” (06/29/26)

    https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/new-caledonia-loyalists-emerge-largest-bloc-after-election-lack-majority-2026-06-30/

  • FBI: “Jackpotting” crew stole over $500,000 from ATMs

    Source: NBC News

    “The FBI in Connecticut said it arrested four men accused of stealing tens of thousands at a time from ATMs at rest stops along I-95 from Darien to New Haven. … Law enforcement officials alleged they used hardware and malware to get the machines to churn out endless streams of cash. At a northbound rest stop in Fairfield, prosecutors said, the men made off with $136,000 in one haul.” (06/29/26)

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jackpotting-crew-stole-500000-atms-95-connecticut-fbi-says-rcna352346

  • France: Parliament passes “fast fashion” bill targeting Shein and Temu

    Source: France 24 [French state media]

    “French senators on Monday passed a revised anti-fast-fashion bill targeting e-commerce platforms including Shein, Temu and AliExpress, after years of debate over how to bring the measure in line with EU regulations. Easy to order and replace, fast fashion items contribute to pollution from the textile industry, which accounts for nearly 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The Senate passed the bill Monday after the lower house National Assembly did last week. It imposes a per-item fee for producing textile en masse that will increase over time, and a ban on advertising for ultra-fast fashion brands, including by social media influencers.” (06/29/26)

    https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260629-french-parliament-passes-fast-fashion-bill-targeting-shein-and-temu

  • SCOTUS declines to save sexual assailant from paying defamation damages to victim

    Source: Politico

    “The Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn a 2023 jury verdict holding him liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll, dealing a final blow to the president’s effort to thwart one of the most significant legal victories against him. Carroll’s lawsuit accused Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s and then describing her allegations as a ‘hoax’ after she went public with them during the first term of his presidency. The Supreme Court’s decision not to intervene means Trump will have to pay Carroll the $5 million judgment, plus interest, that the jury awarded her. Trump, however, is still appealing a much larger judgment — $83.3 million plus interest — awarded to Carroll after a second trial that found Trump liable for other acts of defamation.” (06/29/26)

    https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/29/e-jean-carroll-donald-trump-supreme-court-00979728


  • Workers must defend their right to private opinions

    Source: spiked
    by Andrew Tettenborn

    “It’s all very well to say that the general law allows you to speak your mind, but that doesn’t mean very much if an employer can sack you for expressing a view they happen to disagree with. And it’s easy to forget that it isn’t a matter of just a few people. Lawyers, doctors, accountants, financial professionals, architects, chartered surveyors, chemists, physiotherapists, nurses, teachers, social workers – the list of those who have to watch carefully what they say because the regulator might come down on them if they step out of line is a long one. Furthermore, regulators can use these powers fairly drastically. Alleged Islamophobia, racism and sexism expressed online, or simply matters seen as offensive or contrary to a profession’s ‘values’, are common grounds for people being hit with severe professional penalties or being drummed out entirely.” (06/30/26)

    https://archive.is/T2aKm

  • How Hunter Biden Won the Internet

    Source: Wired
    by Alana Hope Levinson & Makena Kelly

    “In a little over a month, Biden has amassed over 800,000 followers and materially changed his image—in part by giving hours-long, shockingly intimate interviews to independent media outlets like Channel 5, Armchair Expert, and Soft White Underbelly. He’s even talked to former foes like Candace Owens, who once called him a ‘degenerate that should be in prison.’ He’s fed the trolls—and everyone is eating.” (06/30/26)

    https://archive.is/WGaxC

  • The dark money operation behind China-baiting in the homeland

    Source: Responsible Statecraft
    by Nick Cleveland-Stout

    “This lobbyist is touting his efforts to restrict Beijing’s influence by convincing states they need to restrict land purchases by immigrants.” (06/30/26)

    https://responsiblestatecraft.org/china-farmland-in-us/

  • 1776 in the US and Latin America

    Source: EconLog
    by Constanza Mazzina

    “We are approaching the 250th anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. However, that same year carries a different meaning in Latin America. Rather than the beginning of a system based on limits to power and individual freedom in the United States, 1776 represented a major turning point in the opposite direction for Latin America.” (06/30/26)

    https://www.econlib.org/econlog/1776-in-the-us-and-latin-america

  • The Islamabad Memorandum and the Decline of the Paradigm of Absolute Victory

    Source: Antiwar.com
    by Timothy Hopper

    “Almost every war produces the same immediate question: who won? Yet the more consequential question is whether either side can convert battlefield pressure into a political order it can sustain. The Islamabad Memorandum, signed by the United States and Iran on June 17, brings that distinction into sharp relief. It is a 60-day framework linking an end to military operations and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz to negotiations over sanctions, Iran’s nuclear program, and a broader political settlement. Its importance lies less in the document’s promises than in the reality that produced it: neither Washington nor Tehran could credibly claim that continuing the war would deliver the political outcome each sought.” (06/30/26)

    https://original.antiwar.com/timothy_hopper/2026/06/29/the-islamabad-memorandum-and-the-decline-of-the-paradigm-of-absolute-victory/

  • Federal ROAD to Housing Act Won’t Solve the Housing Affordability Crisis

    Source: Independent Institute
    by Samuel R Staley

    “The U.S. Senate version of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, now going the U.S. House of Representatives for approval, is a mixed brew of a few good ideas and a potentially dangerous regulatory drag for local governments. Sprawling through 100 sections and 9 major titles over 381 pages of legislation, the legislation’s core intent is laudable: Fix America’s housing affordability crisis by increasing supply. But, like most federal (and state-level) initiatives, the legislation fails to grasp the localized and fundamentally decentralized nature of the solution. Policymakers have created square pegs for a playbook full of round holes.” (06/29/26)

    https://www.independent.org/article/2026/06/29/federal-road-to-housing-act-wont-solve-the-housing-affordability-crisis/

  • Armenia Rejects Populism and Chooses Democracy Despite a Devastating Military Defeat

    Source: The UnPopulist
    by Alexander Kaffka

    “In fact, voters handed a mandate to the man who lost territory.” (06/29/26)

    https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/armenia-rejects-populism-and-chooses

  • Trump v. Cook Carve-Out Leaves the Fed Above the Law

    Source: The Daily Economy
    by Alexander W Salter

    “The Roberts Court restored presidential authority over executive agencies while shielding the Federal Reserve from the same rule.” (06/29/26)

    https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/trump-v-cook-carve-out-leaves-the-fed-above-the-law/

  • Are you a “gloomy Gus” about the States?

    Source: The Price of Liberty
    by Nathan Barton

    “As our nations (the Fifty States) approach the 250th birthday of the Union, the mood is surprisingly gloomy across much of our land. A recent survey from Pew Research, for instance, found that just 17% of Americans believe the federal government can be trusted to do the right thing … most of the time. (We note that some of us might be surprised to see how high this is: almost 1 in 5?) Only about one-quarter say they feel optimistic about the country’s future, and many Americans believe the United States is more divided than united.” (06/29/26)

    https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/06/29/are-you-a-gloomy-gus-about-the-states/

  • What Is the Declaration of Independence?

    Source: Tenth Amendment Center
    by Rob Natelson

    “During the 18th century, an official declaration was an announcement of a particular event, often after the event had occurred. In addition to the announcement, a declaration might explain the event or justify the action being taken. For example, in cases of offensive war, a government issued a declaration announcing the commencement of hostilities and presenting its justification for fighting. During the summer of 1775, the Second Continental Congress issued a ‘Declaration of the Causes and Necessity for Taking Up Arms.’ This document explained why armed resistance against Britain had arisen and why it was necessary. … The Declaration of Independence was also an announcement. When it was approved (July 4, 1776) and released to the public (July 8), Congress had already voted for Independence (July 2). The Declaration did not create a new legal situation; it explained why it had arisen.” (06/29/26)

    https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2026/06/29/what-is-the-declaration-of-independence/